Bridging the Void
by Writergirl118
Summary: rating changed due to chapt 12.It has been three years since the trip thst changed both thier lives, and Steph and Lil have drifted apart. Will strange new events pull the BFF's back together? CHAPTER 13 IS FINALLY HERE!
1. Default Chapter

**Bridging the Void **

**Sequel to When Worlds Collide**

Note: This is the sequel to my very first fanfic, When Worlds Collide. In order to really understand this story, I would suggest reading the first one before this. However, go ahead if you don't wanna, 'cause it's not my business. Hope ya like it!

Intro (yes, you need to read this!)

**It had been three years since the trip that changed our lives, and Steph and I had grown apart. Although she was quick enough to forgive her BFF for the little Seto incident, therein lay a seed of doubt planted within the both of us. I was afraid that she would never trust me again as she once had, and she feared another "betrayal" by the only one who really knew her. **

**As time went on, Steph and I fell into a simple pattern, calling one another on Saturdays to talk about our beloved show and nothing else. But fate was not to be kind enough to allow that to remain.**

**We, now no longer girls of 14 but young women of 16, and not so sweet, had at last outgrown our show and in doing so lost our most common bond. Later that year, Steph fell hard, very hard, for a young man named Chris, whom she had always been a tad bit sweet on. Her life revolved around him, and only him, and I was pushed out. She asked me once, to go on a double date with the two of them, but I had never been on a date after the fated one with Seto, and I didn't plan on ever getting out there again, into the world of love. My heart still belonged to a man of another world, and still I wore his token around my neck; it hadn't ever been taken off since the day he gave it to me. **

**And with those events, I lost my best friend, and I lost the second firmest dream in my life; falling in love and getting married. But still I held on to the most outstanding dream in my life, and at only seventeen years of age, I had published ten award winning novels. I was an author, and I was as shattered inside as a glass vase thrown off the Eiffel Tower. **

**However, fate, a beloved intervener in the lives of those who believe, came to see fit that Steph and I were brought together again, and that the shards of our hearts, too, were put into a rightful place once more.**

Chapter One: The Lost Ways

**And so it all began, on a Friday in the summer of my seventeenth year. I was, as usual, laying on my bed with loud music, my laptop, and a diet sprite to keep me company. As it happened, I was writing the third companion to my debut novel, Silema. This was terribly sad work, as it was about one doomed to loneliness, not unlike I believed myself to be. My hand went up to touch the necklace that was so a part of me as I wrote on, trying to find clarity in the darkness of my life.**

**The room no longer fit me. I had long become separate from the happiness and love that radiated from its walls. The storm outside, however, with its lightning and hard rain, reflected my mood quite well.**

**My sprite can was empty, and I stood to get another, stepping on the remote as I did so. The TV turned on, showing the face of none other than Seto Kaiba, in his repeated duel against Joey. **

**A tear escaped me, before I could reclaim the cold that I had become. That face… oh how I wanted to see that face again. **

**I pressed down hard on the power button and reached automatically towards the phone. Even now, after our friendship had been dead for so many months, I found myself wanting to hit the speed dial number 1 and talk to her about my heartache. I needed my best friend to see me through the pain of such a loss as the one that I loved. But she was not there. **

**The fridge had more than just diet sprite in it. There was also a very large, guilty tub of ice cream which I allowed myself a few bites of sometimes to silence my heart and return to the emptiness that was my comfort. Bur mostly, I was as stone, silent and unfeeling. **

**Lighting crashed through the sky, illuminating my reflection in the glass. What I saw was a broken girl, thin as a wraith and staring out at the world through eyes ringed in black. This was mostly dark circles from lack of sleep, but I supposed that there may also have been some dried mascara from my crying of last month. Now, though, I did not allow myself the luxury of tears. Without tears, there wasn't pain. **

**I heard a thump, and jumped about a foot. Who was there at this hour? My parents were asleep and that was not a familiar thump. That was the sound of an intruder.**

**Hands searching in the dark, I found my softball bat, cold and reassuring in the stillness. It had been a long time since I had felt up to sports, but I still sometimes drove out to the cages and hit a few out of the park for old time sake. It was my game, after all, the one I loved more than almost anything else. **

**I crept up the stairs, brandishing the blue bat like a sword. Another sound came and I realized that it was coming from my room. I flicked on the lights and gasped. There, on the cold hardwood floor, were two figures that I had never believed I would see in that room. **

End note: I know its sort ofa cliffhanger, but I have to know if you like it or not before I go on. Review and tell me what you think, and Chapter two will be here in aflash!

Yours Truly,  
Writergirl 118


	2. Reunion

**Bridging the Void**

Note: Ok… so far I havevery fewreviews. That really, really hurts. Oh well, here is chapter 2 people, hope ya like it! Review ASAP!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, or Avril Lavigne music ;)

Chapter Two: Reunion

"**What on earth are you doing here!" I whispered frantically to Seto and Marik. "How did…. Why are… Just explain this to me!"**

**Seto stood up and embraced me in his strong arms. "I missed you," he whispered deeply into my ear. **

"**How did you get here?"**

**He stood back and jabbed his thumb at Marik. "I have no idea, but this psycho might."**

"**I am not a psycho! And this is not my fault. I was just sitting quietly, minding my own business and then here I am, in this weird house with you two."**

**A tear slipped from my eye and I ignored it with as much dignity as I could manage. He was standing in front of me! He was really, really there!**

"**Seto… I… I'm glad you're here. But… aren't you in danger? I was when I was in your world, so what about now? If there's any chance you can get hurt, I want you to find a way back!"**

"**Ok, just ignore the other guy in the room, then," Marik scoffed, looking at my writing competition trophies. **

"**Don't worry," Seto remarked. "We will."**

"**Do you have any idea what's going on? I mean, how do I explain this to people?"**

"**Well, as I see it… this is some kind of inequality in the dimensional barrier," Marik said. "But as to how or why it was the two of us that came through… I have no idea."**

**I nodded thoughtfully. "When we… Steph and I… went to your dimension, it was storming and I had my hand on the TV, where the show written by a man who unwittingly dreamed of your world was playing. Maybe… I don't know…"**

"**Do you think that it was wanting to see you again that could have brought me here?"**

**I blushed. "As if I know. I'm an author, Seto, not a genius."**

**But in my mind was the image of me crying at the television because Seto's face was on it, and all the nights I had spent holding his necklace in my hands. Maybe it was possible that we shared some kind of bond… Maybe.**

"**That has happened before in the history of inter-dimensional communication, but that would not explain why I'm here."**

**I blinked at him and then flinched. There was movement in the next room. I checked the clock. 5:45; Dad was getting up. Glancing at the two guys in my bedroom, I assumed that it was not going to go over well and led them to the large window. **

"**Climb out here, jump down and hide in the side yard. I'll be down in a few minutes, but first, I think I need to make a phone call."**

**They did as I bade and then I stared at the phone. Steph had, in fact, become very interested in the theories about other worlds, and she had been there with me the first time the supernatural had paid me a visit. That dusty old speed dial button was starting to look like my only hope.**

"**What?"**

"**Steph, it's Lily. I have a slight… problem."**

"**Oh? Did Drake ask you out again? Is your heart still on the mend from your darling Seto?"**

"**This is not the time for that, there is a real, serious problem."**

"**Look… I was talking to Chris… you know we aren't very close anymore, why can't you let go? Is this really very im-"**

"**Seto and Marik just popped up in my bedroom."**

"**Oh. Hold on a sec."**

**I looked at my fingernails for a minute and then clutched the necklace. He was in my yard! I could just jump out the window and run into his arms! **

"**Alright… so Kaiba and Marik are in your… house?"**

"**No, silly, my yard. They were in my house, but I made them leave. Now they're outside."**

"**You haven't changed a bit. Always with the sarcasm. What do you expect me to do?"**

"**I need your help… we'll have to… to… send them back. And I need a good cover story."**

"**So tell people he's your boyfriend visiting from Japan… It's true enough. And Marik can be your cousin."**

"**But what about finding a place for them to stay? And my parents? That story won't fly with them. Or Marik, or Seto for that matter."**

"**Okay… then Marik and Seto are _my _cousins. I'll come down and stay with you for now, so we can solve this. Just let me get the car… meet me at the secret hideout."**

"**Okay… let me find your cousins, then. I hope the bug'll still start… I haven't left the house in ages… Maybe the cycle still will…" Click.**

**I rushed down the stairs and grabbed my keys. "Going to meet Steph at the club, Dad, don't wait up." **

"**You're going outside? Good."**

**I ran out into the yard, snuck the boys into the car, spent a few seconds panting from the effort, and then started the metallic bug. **

"**Thank goodness. It starts!" I yelled to the hottie in the side seat. He raised his eyebrows and looked around him. **

"**This car… is a piece of junk."**

"**This car," I said smoothly. "Is _my _piece of junk. I paid for every cent of the price, including gas and tune ups."**

"**Oh."**

**Marik leaned forward. "Can you lovebirds knock it off?"**

"**Sure. Let me turn on the CD player here… hmm, let's see…" I looked through the CDs, feeling more alive than I had in nearly two years. When Steph and I had been friends the pain of a broken heart had been lessened. We got our temps together, then our licenses, and then our cars. We had been unstoppable chicks with wheels in that time, and then, suddenly, we were two loners. Just like that, she had a boyfriend, and I had my broken heart still to reckon with. But now both blows were being undone. My voice rang out to join Avril's in a happy flutter. **

"**So you go, and make it happen. Do what you do just keep on laughing. I'm telling you, there's always a brand new day. I'm gonna live today like its my last-"**

"**Lily! Car!"**

"**What? Oh!" I slammed on the brakes and wheeled into a sharp turn, following Steph's convertible into our secret area. **

"**You remember Steph," I said smirking at Kaiba. He nodded glumly and looked away, suddenly very interested in my piece of junk.**

"**So… shall we fill them in?" I asked my friend, frowning when I noticed several bruises on her arms and one on her face. "What are-?"**

"**I fell. Let's tell them."**

**Her voice sounded hollow and fearful. I swallowed and pulled Seto towards me out of nervousness. He smiled and put his arm around me.**

"**So, the story is that you guys are Steph's cousins, and that the three of you are here for a visit this summer. It should fly as long as we spend a lot of time out of the house. My parents will like that."**

**Seto raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing the bruises as well, and also my comment about getting out of the house. **

"**You two are picture perfect, aren't you?" Steph remarked with the shadow of a smile. She was so much thinner than I recalled. So much… sadder. **

**I smiled. "Which reminds me… How goes it with lover boy? He still buying you all that jewelry?"**

**Her eyes darkened and she forced a smile. "My Chris is having some… financial troubles right now. But we love each other, and that's what really matters."**

**I smiled a little but I sensed the trouble in her eyes. I had never really trusted him, especially not after he had been flirting with me, but Steph said that she loved him, and I saw in her eyes the same feeling I had whenever Seto was near me, which, incidentally, was not that often. **

"**And now," she said with a large, sly smile, "You haven't got an excuse not to go on a double date with us."**

"**Why don't we head up to the house soon, and introduce my mom to your cousins?"**

"**Or… we could go and get Chris and Courtni and head down to the bowling alley. It would be so much fun!"**

**I sighed. "Can Marik handle Courts, though?"**

"**I dunno, but I sure would like to see him try."**

"**I'm going to count that as a challenge," Marik said from the car. **

"**It was."**

"**Alright, but I've told you how I feel about-"**

"**I know, Lily. Two years isn't enough to make a girl forget something like that."**

"**Okay, okay. Hop in the bug, Seto. Steph, your car's bigger, can you take Marik?"**

**Marik cocked an eyebrow and hopped out of my car instantly. "Wouldn't want to stand in between these two, that's for sure. I'm outta there."**

**Marik followed Steph into the truck and I hopped back into the bug with a smile on my face. Maybe my life was drained of all that it had been, and maybe the pieces were near impossible to pick back up, but Seto was back, and that was all that mattered at the moment.**

End note: Yipes, I've just though about it… Does Lily seem to dependant on her boyfriend to make her happy? I hope that it doesn't, but tell me when you review. I must return to scheming cruel things about Steph's bruises, so goodbye 4 now!


	3. The Fated Night

**Bridging the Void**

Note: Chapter 3 is finally here! Aren't you so proud of me? Yeah, I know… anyhow… R&R peoples!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! (or the Sevenwaters trilogy, which I seem to have a problem with making constant references to and should therefore include in this disclaimer)

Chapter Three: The Fated Night

**I watched as Steph called Chris, her voice a hushed whisper. It made me very edgy to see a trace of what looked like fear in her eyes. She had been so strong all the time I had known her, and if she was in trouble, I was doomed. After all, wasn't I the weak one, the one who cried? Then again… I had forced myself to harden over the past few years, so maybe Steph had softened and become the one thing I never thought she would be; weak.**

"**They'll come," she said quietly. "But Chris wants to drive."**

**I almost refused; I did not trust her idiot cheater of a boyfriend, but then I saw the look in her eyes. It was as if the simple word no could cause her a terrible amount of pain. I nodded and then turned my eyes on the boys, daring them to protest. Seto just stood there, indifferent as usual, and Marik shook his head softly and looked away. He could tell that something was not right, that was clear. **

"**Steph… Is there something you need to talk to me about?"**

"**No!" she snapped, eyes wide. "Why on earth would you think that? I'm the happiest person alive."**

**I sighed and shook my head. "With you saying that, it's hard to know that there even is a world anymore. You're supposed to be the depressing one."**

"**So I'm different. You are too… you've never been the same since-"**

"**Can both of you shut up? I'm tired of hearing this bickering from you two. Just get back in the cars and drive!"**

**We obliged, though likely just out of the lack of will to argue. Besides, I had a problem at hand to be solved, and it involved a person that I would soon have to face. **

"**Hello, Steph. Lily, it's great to see you around again. We've missed you."**

**Grunting mildly, I nodded to him in discontent. He looked even more muscular and untrustworthy than the last time I'd seen him. If only he was skinny and pathetic; I would beat him up for being such a two-timing jerk. He had flirted with me when he was dating Steph, who was to say he didn't get farther with other girls? What a slimy little… I can't even think of a decent word.**

"**So… Who are you two?" He asked, as if to suggest that they were not nearly as cool as he was.**

"**This is Seto erm… Ficher. Steph's cousin. And-"**

"**Marik I-"**

"**Also Steph's cousin. They're um… brothers. Yeah, take after different sides of the family. Anyhow, where's your sister?"**

**Courtni, as I seem to have forgotten to mention, is Chris's cow loving step-sister, who is nothing like him whatsoever. Where he is tall, she is short, where he is evil; she is the most docile person I've ever met. **

"**Courts! Get down here; you're keeping our guests waiting!"**

**The small girl came flying down the stairs and blushed sweetly at Marik. "Hiya! I'm Courtni!"**

"**Hello. I'm Marik. Are we going now?" **

**Courtni, who lacked any shyness, grabbed him by the arm and led him to Chris's very large truck. They climbed into the back and Steph settled herself in the passenger seat, where Chris promptly placed a possessive hand on her knee. His grip looked just a little but too firm to me, but I lacked the courage to say much of anything. **

"**Gee… I don't think there's enough room for Seto and I." I laughed nervously as Chris pointed to the remaining space, indicating that I should sit on Seto's lap. **

"**I'm sorry, but I think we should listen. I don't want to leave him and Steph alone with only Courts and Marik as protection."**

**Seto grinned slyly. "I don't mind."**

**I climbed into the truck and perched warily on Seto's lap, not at all comfortable despite the way I felt about him. He put his hand lightly on my knee, and instead of jerking away like I generally would to be reminded of Chris's behavior, I smiled. This was a sign that Seto still cared about me in the way that he had said he did, and I wasn't about to shake it off. **

"**This is the most uncomfortable position I think I've been, but its worth to see you smile, Seto. Besides," I dropped my voice so as to not be overheard. "I don't trust Mr. High and Mighty up there. I think he's hurting Steph."**

"**It isn't really my problem, but I think you're right. She seems… scared. Definitely not the yelling little girl I knew."**

**I nodded mutely and cringed. In the mirror, a pair of deep blue eyes that were as cold as the ice burg that sank the titanic were watching me, and the lips on the same face were curved into a menacing smile, putting me in mind of a cat playing with his dinner. I swallowed and tried to look away, but that cold, merciless gaze held me fast. **

"**What's wrong?"**

**I swallowed again and shook my head. As much as I liked Seto, some things are private, and your best, okay formerly best, friend's boyfriend making faces at you was on of them. If Steph needed my help, she first would need my silence. **

"**Nothing. It's just a little drafty in here, don't you think?"**

**He put his arms around me and I tried to smile, but I was eaten up by fear. Something was not right in those eyes, and I couldn't put a finger on it. Maybe that was because I didn't want to. **

"**Here we are," the gruff voice from the front said. "Go on and head inside. Steph and I'll park the truck."**

"**No, that's alright," I quipped. "We'll wait. Not sense in you staying out here longer than us, right, Seto?" I nudged him with my elbow and he shrugged. **

**Chris narrowed his eyes at me in the mirror, but this time, Seto noticed it. "Do you have a problem with Lily?"**

"**Of course not, she's my girl's BFF. I'd never think of disliking her."**

**I grasped tightly onto Seto's hand and closed my eyes, willing all the strangeness away. **

**The bowling alley was too dark for my tastes, but it may have been because _he _was there. **

"**One game, one lane," Chris told the man at the counter. He never said please; it was one of the traits that made me want to slap him in the face.**

"**Alright, sir. What shoe sizes can I get for you?"**

**We all named our sizes and he retrieved the right shoes. Then Chris set up a team game between the three couples, and we started the game.**

**For the most part, the game was just that; a game, but sometimes I found myself looking over my shoulder and there he was, Steph's traitor of a boyfriend. He was at it again, curse him. **

"**Hey, buddy, I don't appreciate my space being violated!" I yelled at him on one occasion when Steph was in the restroom. **

"**Not even by a hottie like me?" He asked, reaching out a hand to touch me who knows where.**

**I slapped his hand and threw a glance over my shoulder at Seto, who was rolling up his sleeves.**

"**I don't think you want to try that move again," he spat. **

"**I think I do."**

**But before Seto could punch him, I had kicked him hard where it would hurt the very most. "If you think that I'm gonna sit by and take like when we were in sixth grade, you must be stupider than I thought you were! How many times do I have to tell you that I only like decent men, not slime like you?"**

"**Lily. What are you saying about my boyfriend?"**

**I took a deep breath and turned to face Steph, who had a mixed expression, like she was afraid to admit the truth in my words. "Look, Steph, you know it's true. I don't know what he's done or said to make you this way… but I don't think I can stand by and watch you weather away any longer."**

"**You've always been jealous of our relationship, Lily. You really shouldn't say things like that about me; it upsets Steph."**

**I was shaking in rage, but I was also afraid. "You… you are… I cannot even find a good enough adjective for you. I can't believe you would insinuate that I'm jealous of _you. _I happen to have the best guy in the world standing beside me, and some day, Chris, all you're going to have is your beer or whatever it is you drink. And I think you should-"**

"**That's enough, Lily," Marik whispered into my ear. I shivered and took an involuntary step away. **

"**Chill out, I'm just trying to help. He's fuming, and he could take both you and Kaiba down; he's too strong. But his mind, on the other hand, if you'd allow the interference-"**

"**Give Stephie some more time," I said coolly. "She'll find a way out, and if not, I will. We don't need your mind tricks here."**

"**Okay, but I was hoping to enlist help in getting rid of the cow girl over there. She is… unique."**

**I laughed, sensing that he liked Steph. Maybe he was the kind of guy she needed, the kind who knew her pain. **

End note: Mwahahahahahah! Cliffhanger! Review ASAP! Oh. And I'd like to see what you think the bruises are about, I think it's pretty obvious, but that might be because I wrote it. Until next time,

Writergirl118!


	4. Revenge and Psychos

**Bridging the Void**

Note: I'm sorry for taking so long… I got a bit caught up in my other story, Darkness Within. But now chapter 4 is finally here! Please R&R!

Chapter Four: Revenge and Psychos

**After our little outing, I managed to convince Chris that his girlfriend was safe with us, and that neither Seto nor Marik would try and steal her from him. I wished, somehow, that someone would. Chris was bad news. **

"**Alright, so what's our plan in full?" Steph asked, to make sure that I had the story down.**

"**Run around like maniacs and pray that it all works out?"**

"**No, Lily. Remember, they're my cousins. And we're staying with you guys while my house, where they were staying, is being renovated. Okay?"**

"**Okay… but I have this bad feeling. Are you sure everything's alright with you, Steph? I mean… Chris seems… I don't know… sort of… possessive. Is he pressuring you, or hurting you or anything?"**

"**I told you, I'm fine. And we aren't best friends anymore, Lily. We're just doing this thing for the guys, and to save our own skin, okay. After this… we go back to the norm."**

**She just didn't seem to get that nothing in my life would ever be normal again. Not as long as I was in love with Seto. For me, if they went back… if he was gone again… then I would fall back into my slump of write, eat, write, eat, and the occasional fitful sleep. But at that moment I felt so vibrant… so much like I might have been if I'd chosen a different path in my life. I needed my BFF, but she had been replaced by a thin, bruised girl with fear in her eyes. **

"**But… Okay. Only, how are we going to get them back?"**

**Steph gave me a thin smile. "Girl, we always find a way. And this time, I have years of study on my side! Let's go return some guys to their dimension!"**

**I felt my heart sink. Just like that, he was going to be taken away from me again. But I couldn't let him disappear or whatever. Not in the slightest. Suddenly, my eyes caught on something familiar. **

"**Oh, Stephs, look at this," I whispered, picking up the tattered paper.**

"**Steph and Lil… best friends until the end, so hereby promise to never let one another do anything stupid or dangerous to themselves or to people who don't deserve it," Steph read with a faint grin.**

**Underneath those words, we had scrawled our signatures, and I had written my usual pre-falling in love with Seto "Joey is hot" heart. I recalled the box of important things that we had and rushed to pick it up. Inside was a torn up photo of Drake, and on top of it rested a nice, clean picture of Seto. Whether it was Steph's or mine was difficult to tell, but upon finding an older picture beneath those, I determined that it was mine. And there, at the very bottom, was a picture of the two of us smiling as we held signed copies of Tamora Pierce's Lioness Rampant (which Writergril118 does not own, might I add.) I breathed slowly, amazed by how well our friendship had been documented. It was almost as if we had known that we would need a reminder someday. Thinking on how I had a sense for those things, it didn't surprise me that I'd been such a packrat. **

"**I had forgotten this," Steph whispered. "It wasn't so long ago, but now… we're different. We're both… just not who we were."**

"**It shouldn't matter," I mumbled, staring at the sky and remembering the conversation we'd had out first day back.**

"_**Well, we're back."**_

"_**It looks so different now, Steph."**_

"_**No, we are different, but our world is the same."**_

"_**You're still mad about Seto, aren't you?"**_

"_**No… I think that it would have only hurt me in the end to be with him. I want a real boyfriend."**_

"_**Seto is real!"**_

"_**But he isn't here now, is he?"**_

"_**You are so impossible."**_

"_**Thank you, it's my destiny."**_

**It had been a long time since that day, but it was clearly the day that our friendship first started to crumble. Who said that meeting our favorite Yu-gi-oh hotties was a dream come true? To me, it was more of a nightmare. **

"**Are you guys coming or are we just going to sit in this poor excuse for a car for the next hour or so?"**

**I rolled my eyes at Seto and waited for Steph to pound him for saying bad things about her car. But she didn't. She just got in the car and started it up, taking us all up the street to my house. **

"**So these are Steph's cousins?" My mom asked for the eight time. **

**All of us nodded, except for Marik, who was watching my little dog run around him in circles, growling. She usually liked anyone who was a human being, but I guessed that Marik was a little creepy looking, and Ginger did have a few issues. **

"**So, is it okay if they stay here for a few days?"**

"**I guess… but I don't know that we have room."**

"**The guys can sleep in the basement and Steph can either chare my room or sleep in the computer room."**

**Mom shrugged. "Okay, then. But only for a few days."**

**Steph and I tried to look innocent, but the boys didn't bother. I don't think that trying would've helped much anyway. We quickly piled back into the car and zoomed off down the road to visit Steph's dimensional science professor.**

"**Fascinating," the short, plump woman murmured for the thousandth time, poking Seto again with her index finger. **

**I grabbed his arm and pulled him to safety, glaring at Dr. Dimensia (go figure). **

"**I always though that they would be unable to maintain such a solid form, but it is possible that certain… emotions could make it possible. Are you here for revenge?"**

**Had I be able, I would have anime sweat dropped at the very thought of someone coming from the Yu-gi-oh world for revenge on sweet little me. But as it was, I couldn't.**

**Kaiba glared at her and Marik picked up a nearby picture frame, seeming to test its balance and see if it would knock the annoying woman out. **

"**Well, it doesn't look like it, now does it?"**

**She poked Marik, earning her a slap in the side of the head. "Don't poke me woman, I am not in a good mood today!"**

**I snickered and gripped tighter on Seto's arm. The woman was now reading some notes and nodding. **

"**I see… Yes, yes… so only that then… interesting," she murmered as she flipped through the pages. At last she looked up and when she spoke, it was to Marik and Seto, and in a grave voice that I had not heard her use before. "There are two reasons that you could be here," she declared. "Either your destiny intertwines with that of someone else here or… you have a strong feeling drawing you here… like love or hatred or very, very close friendship… Something like that. I think you can deter why it is that you are here."**

**Seto nodded and Marik looked slightly flustered. I stared at Steph hard and things started making sense. Maybe, just maybe, I couldn't help her. Maybe that was why Marik was here. Maybe it was his job to get rid of the jerk once and for all. Or maybe I was crazy. **

**Dr. Dimensia grinned at Seto. "I have good news for you," she sang, double checking a very thick book. "If you are in love with someone here… then you can stay if you so chose. But if it is revenge you seek, or destiny you must fufill," she said, looking at Marik now. "Then you have a week before you are turned to stone, dust, or a spirit of some sort. We aren't sure which."**

**Marik shrugged and glanced at Steph, who was deep in thought. "I don't get it, what part could Marik possibly play in out lives?"**

**My heart, which had momentarily swelled with joy, was rapidly deflating now. Of course he should go back; in his world, he was a CEO, and an older brother and he could not be expected to give that up for me. **

"**How do we send them back?" I asked, giving Seto a mournful look.**

"**Why my dear, the same way that you got them here, of course. Through your TV set. All that you must do is find a good moment in their show and they must want to go back and poof, they are. No one said it was a difficult science, just weird."**

**I blinked at her and sighed. There were only reruns now, and those were rare. But they had to go back.**

"**Oh, and girls, don't be surprised if that television becomes a source of messages from that world. It's been exposed to it twice now, from what Steph had told me. These two could discuss things with their friends or family if they needed to, I believe."**

**Seto and I sat in the back of the car, and Marik, to his discontent, was seated I the front next to an unhappy Steph, who was whispering into a cell phone as she drove.**

"**I'm very, very glad to be near you again, Lily," Seto whispered.**

**I smiled and fingered his necklace. He noticed it and smiled a genuine smile. "You still have that?"**

"**No, Seto, this is just an astro-projection of it," I said sarcastically, making him laugh. "Of course I still have it. I…I… Oh, Seto, I'm going to miss you when you leave again."**

**To my slight horror, I found myself crying. I hated the way I looked when I cried, but was slightly consoled when Seto hugged me to his chest. **

"**I'm not leaving you, Lily. You heard the crazy woman, I can stay."**

"**B-but your company and… and Mokuba and most of all… well, you just haven't beaten Yugi er, Yami or whichever yet. You can't just leave it all unfinished like that."**

**His face fell. "How do I choose between that and you?"**

"**You don't, Seto. You have to go back. Don't worry about me; I have felt for a long time that I am destined to be alone." I looked away from the intensity of his eyes. "And my intuition… is almost, well, magic, really. I just… I'm generally right about these things and-"**

**Steph veered to the left hard and we were all sent flying out of the car by the jolt. She landed on Marik, who looked less than pleased, and I found myself underneath Kaiba. **

"**Hey," I said, pushing him off. "Isn't the guy supposed to break the girl's fall?"**

"**Sorry," he said, offering his hand to help me up. **

"**What was that, Steph?"**

"**Chris," she said grimly. "I think… he's here… to make sure that no one stands in the way of what he wants."**

"**And that is?"**

"**You."**

"**ME?" I shouted in outrage at the same time that Seto said "HER?"**

"**Well well well, despite my warnings, you persist to cling to the past, Steph. Now step aside, this is between the girl and me."**

"**I think not!" Seto said. **

"**Lay off it, Seto," I whispered fiercly, my eyes on the fowl man whose crazed eyes had haunted my dreams. "This _is _between the two of us. The first, and last, thing we'll ever agree on. What does it take to make you go away, Chris?"**

**He smirked. "Go out with me. Kiss me. Be _my _girlfriend. Oh, and tell me how much you paid this guy to act like your boyfriend."**

**I narrowed my eyes. "How dare you insult Seto by even suggesting that he'd do something like that for money! Besides," I said coldly. "He already has more money than you'll see in your entire life."**

**Chris slapped me in the face, earning himself a punch from Seto, who I then had to pull off of him. **

"**No. This is not your fight. I am _not _a damsel in distress, Seto. I'm his worst nightmare."**

**I got a cold chill and saw a strange, flashed image of Yugi, but disregarded it at once as something my half insane mind had made up. I didn't have visions, I just felt when something was going to happen. This was just one too many diet Sprites.**

"**I'm gonna tell the cops you've been abusing Steph, Chris! And don't look so surprised; I'm not at all the normal little girl you think I am."**

"**So? I could have you dead in a ditch in five seconds flat. You wouldn't even have time to scream."**

"**Oooh, I'm shaking. You are just a filthy little-"**

**I was interrupted by another slap, which was quickly returned by a hard kick, courtesy of yours truly, to a rather unpleasant spot for Chris. **

"**Marik!" I called, turning my eyes on him instead of the stumbling Chris. "Get Steph outta here and try to figure out some way of stopping this guy!"**

"**No way!" Steph said, forcing her way out of Marik's grip. "My place is here. I've let him beat me down for the last time."**

**I smiled. That was the Steph I knew. "Then let's see… what shall we do to-?"**

**I broke off and winced in pain as something cold and sharp pierced my back. I looked up, not totally of my own will because my eyes were threatening to loll into the back of my head, and saw those two, dreaded eyes. **

"**You… coward," I spat, fumbling to pull the knife out of my back. "You're just a lowly, mangy little dog."**

"**And you're just dead," he retorted, somewhat lamely because I was very well still alive. "It would have been different if you just would have-"**

"**No," I wheezed. "If I had… been with… you… than I no longer would have… been… something… you…could… not… have. You would have… moved on… to the next," I winced as he pulled the knife out as if hoping that it would shut me up. Seeing all the blood, I nearly fainted, but managed to use some hidden will power within me to stay conscious. "goal," I finished.**

**My vision blurred, but I saw that Kaiba was now repeated beating the crap out of Chris, and then I watched as Steph took over the job so that he could come and help me. I was decently sure that it was a lost cause, but I wasn't willing to admit it.**

"**Seto," I gasped, reaching up to touch his cheek. "Is it… bad?"**

"**Very. In fact, I only know of one doctor who can handle this, and he isn't in this dimension."**

"**Oh joy," I whispered, feeling faint. "There are three of you."**

**He laughed weakly and then pulled off his coat and used it to stop the bleeding. I was getting a bit delirious and laughed hazily when I saw his arms. They were muscular. **

"**Come on, Steph, you're going to kill him at this rate and that won't present a very good case. Put him in the trunk, and then you two sit in the back; I'm driving."**

**He picked me up and carried me to the car, placing me in the passenger seat, where I promptly forced myself to sit up straight. No cut in the back was making me look weak. **

**I heard mumbling from the back, but my brain was getting kind of blurry from the blood loss. I mean, Seto had like, four heads, and I couldn't feel my limbs. It was almost cool.**

"**Seto," I managed, trying to turn my head towards him, but I didn't know which one to look at. "Where are we going?" **

"**My place," he said grimly. "Where else?"**

"**But…how?" I asked him as darkness edged my vision. I knew that I was losing consciousness. "Watch out… for… Yu-" and then I passed out.**


	5. Unexpected Fight

**Bridging the Void**

Note: Hopefully the action starts to rise a lot in this chapter. R&R, please, but also just enjoy the story. Also, ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))shows elapsed time.

Chapter Five: Unexpected Fight

**I could hear faint voices, but everything was still pretty foggy. Everything hurt, my back, my head, even my stomach. I tried desperately to sit up.**

"**You're awake," a slightly worried but very controlled voice said from next to me. **

**I shifted again, managing to pull myself upright this time. "How… how long have I been out?"**

"**Only about a day. The doctor's said it was impossible for you to wake up this soon, but I if I know one thing about you, it's that you exceed expectations."**

"**Thanks," I muttered sourly. "I feel like I fell off a cliff and then was crushed by a train. What happened?"**

"**Well, Chris stabbed you and then you passed out."**

"**I know that part. I mean while I was passed out."**

"**We snuck into your house, found the TV and then there was a flash of very annoying light, and we were in Kaiba Corp, like I'd hoped we would be. Then I told the doctors to get straight to work, and they didn't ask many questions."**

"**Of course not, their jobs were at stake."**

**He nodded, or at least, I'm pretty sure that he did, but like I said, it was pretty hard for me to see.**

"**So, what's the damage?"**

"**There was a good deal of blood loss, and you'll probably have a scar, but he didn't do much real damage. And Steph came here long enough to tell us that he was in jail, then she and Marik headed off who knows where."**

**I grinned and reached up for the necklace, fingering it lightly. Another chill went down my spine and then my sight cleared. I knew something was up, and that it wasn't good, but I couldn't really tell exactly what it was. **

"**Mr. Kaiba," a suited man said, sticking his head in the door. "You have a phone call, should I patch it through?"**

**Seto nodded and looked up at the nearby screen, where Yugi's image had just appeared. Such a violent chill went down my spine that I shook and nearly fell off the bed.**

"**Kaiba," he said, confirming my suspicions that it was not really Yugi talking to us. "I want to duel you again, just to see the look on your face when you lose. Meet me at the fountain square in an hour, or else I'll tell the whole world that you backed down from a challenge."**

"**Can't this wait?" Seto asked indignantly. "I'm very busy right now with matters more important than duel monsters."**

"**Then don't show up, and lose whatever small reputation you have left."**

**I stood up, grabbed Seto by the arm and walked out of the room despite the doctors' protests. **

"**Where are my shoes?" I asked. **

**He pointed to a nearby closet and I ripped it open, pulling out my sandals and then searching madly for my purse. Seto handed it to me and I pulled out a piece of ribbon and a brush, tying back my hair. **

"**Lily, you really should rest. The doctors say-"**

"**Alright, where are my clothes? This hospital gown is going to draw some unwanted attention."**

"**Well… we tried to have them dry cleaned, but the blood had stained them too badly, so we had to throw them out."**

"**So you expect me to walk around in this?"**

**Seto sighed and pulled out a shopping bag. "I had someone pick these up for you. Sorry if they aren't your taste, but it was the best I could manage."**

**I pulled out the clothes and giggled. "Who'd ya send?" I asked, holding up the pink short skirt and tight, white, CHEER shirt up to me. "Forget it, at least it'll fit."**

**I rushed into a bathroom, put on the "decent" clothes and then grabbed Seto again. "I have a bad feeling," I said. "And I think it's up to you to stop this madness."**

**Feeling pretty silly in my outfit, I raced towards the fountain with admirable speed for a girl who'd recently been stabbed in the back. Sure enough, there stood someone who looked like Yugi, but simply had too evil a glint in his eyes to be him. But next to him stood another guy, one whom I did not recognize. 'Yugi' laughed as we approached. **

"**Did I fail to mention that this would be a team duel? Too bad, I guess it'll have to be two against-"**

"**Nice try, Yugi," I declared with a smile, brandishing my own personal deck from home, which I still carried around for old time's sake. "But he has a team mate."**

**The two of them went into hysterics, likely due to my unconvincing outfit and my lack of a duel disk.**

"**Are you going to share a duel disk or something?"**

**I blushed and looked sadly at my arm as if a duel disk might magically appear there. **

"**Here, Lily, catch dis," a recognizable voice called. I grinned and caught Joey's duel disk with one hand, wincing in pain when my arm bent back.**

**Stumbling into Seto, I strapped it on (it was only a little big, since I had formerly played many sports that required good arm strength) and faced the two guys with a pathetic effort to stand up. I was feeling faint again.**

'**Yugi" and the other guy, whose name I don't think I ever learned, frowned but hoisted their duel disks into ready position all the same. I nodded at Seto and tried to figure it out, managing to get the thing turned on only by the motivation that if Tristan and Joey could figure it out, I should be able to, and drew my first five cards.**

"**Let's duel," four voices called out in unison. **

**I glanced at my hand and sighed, realizing that my memory of the rules was already not good, and my headache wasn't really helping. I spotted one of my Harpies and smiled. It was Seto's turn, but I already had a plan.**

"**I play X-head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode and place one card face down," he said, doing just that. "And that's all for now."**

**I nodded approvingly and smiled sweetly at 'Yugi'. "You're move hun," I said. "Gonna tell us the diabolical plan now, Gozaboro?"**

**He gaped at me in shock. "How did you-?"**

"**You can't fool a writer, sweetie. So… tell us what's up, but please limit the maniacal laughter, because it really takes up a lot of time."**

**The other guy (I think I'll call him Bob, just to make things easier) smirked. "You think you've figured it all out, don't you, little girl?"**

"**Who are you, the boogie man?"**

**I snorted slightly, but then I saw Seto's loathing expression. He really, really hated his stepfather. **

"**Actually," Bob said. "I'm the only loyal worker that Gozaboro ever had. While the others were kissing this loser's shoes, I had quit and was helping the true owner of Kaiba Corp."**

**Seto laughed. "Gozaboro is a washed up old fool, not the owner of this company."**

**I was reminded that I would likely not ever see Seto again after this and my mood dropped. "So, are we going to be killed, or have our souls taken or something new and innovative?" I asked, hoping they'd get on with it. **

"**We are going to rule this puny planet, but first we need him out of the way. Once he's gone, trapped in the virtual world, I can upload a new, mind controlling program onto the Kaiba Corp satellite system and take over the world."**

"**One minor flaw," I said. "The virtual world you created was destroyed."**

"**No. I was able to save it and rebuild it into what I knew would be a living nightmare for little Seto. There are human inhabitants now, and they jeer, and laugh, and act just like real people. Most of them are loyal to me, but there was a slight bug. That'll just make it more fun to watch you squirm."**

**I blinked at him. "So the losers of this duel are sent to a virtual world? How lame."**

**But inside, I was frozen to the core with fear. I was not really a very talented duelist. What if I lost? **

"**Why Yugi's body?" Seto asked, hatred flaring in his cold eyes. **

"**Who else would you agree to duel? Who else would so many people trust?"**

"**Just duel," I spat, shaking a little.**

"**Oh, Seto, your girlfriend's scared of us," Bob said with an evil grin.**

**Gozaboro finally drew a card and placed Mystic Horseman (1300/1550) in defense mode. "That's all for now. Your doom comes next turn."**

**I sighed and looked at my hand again, hoping to see some miracle card resting there. The card I drew, Harpie Lady 2, would help some in combination with Harpie Lady 1, but not this turn. **

"**I set one monster in face down defense mode and I'll save this," I brandished a card before sliding it into the slot. "For later. Your move."**

**Bob smirked, drew a card, set a monster and nodded to show that his turn was through. I was bothered by his lack of speech, but said nothing. After all, a lot was hanging in the balance.**

**I had only 350 life points, while Seto had 550, Gozaboro had 1000 and Bob had 1900. Things were not looking good for the good guys. I did, however, have all three of my Harpies on the field (1600/1400, due to Harpie Lady 1's special effect) and that was decent news. Seto, however, had no monsters and it was Gozaboro's turn. I fumbled with my Scapegoat card hopefully.**

"**Swarm of Locusts (1000/500) attack Seto's life points directly and knock him out of the duel!"**

"**Not so fast," I declared. "I activate Scapegoat, so you destroy one of them instead."**

"**Good move," Joey called with a smile. **

**I smiled weakly at Seto, who was looking unhappy at being saved. He'd get over it. **

**Bob took out another Scapegoat and then it was my turn. "Harpie Lady 1, handle Gozaboro's pesky bugs, will ya? And now, Harpie Lady 2, take out Fireyarou (1300/1000). And my third Harpie can take a slice outta Gozaboro's life points and knock him out."**

"**Think again," Gozaboro said. "Activate face down card, Waboku."**

**I scowled and nodded to Seto. Hopefully he could make a good move. **

**Seto and I were hanging on by a thread, with only 100 life points each to our names. And it was Bob's move. **

"**I play Just Desserts, which inflicts 500 points of direct damage for each-"**

"**WE KNOW WHAT IT DOES, YOU IDIOT!" I screamed, watching the two life point counters plummet to zero. I fumbled with the straps of Joey's duel disk and tossed it to him. "Beat him!" I mouthed frantically before I blacked out yet again with a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach.**

End note: Let me know what you think! IF you want to 'adopt a townsperson' just give me a name and personality (including whether or not they follow Gozaboro, what they look like and anything else you'd like to add) and I'll try to include them.


	6. Virtual Reality

**Bridging the Void **

Note: Here's chapter six, hope ya like it! R&R!

Chapter Six: Virtual Reality

**I opened my eyes and then flew up, realizing that I was not in my world or Seto's. I was in Gozaboro's virtual world, and let me tell you, it was scary. Franticly, I stood up, trying to get myself away from the pretty flowers. Nearby, Seto was scrutinizing something that looked suspiciously like a fairy.**

"**What on earth is wrong with this place? It's so… pink."**

**He shook his head and looked at me for a minute before emitting a sound that could nearly have been laughter. **

"**What?"**

"**Speaking of pink, you should see yourself right now."**

**Alarmed, I looked stupidly for a mirror. Seeing a lake nearby I rushed towards it, hearing the sound of Seto's unhurried footsteps behind me. Blushing like mad, I glanced into the water and did a double take. I was dressed, dare I say it, exactly like the Dark Magician Girl, and I was not amused in the least. Sure, it looked awesome on her but really, was it necessary to poke fun at me like this?**

"**Oh my gosh… I look… terrible."**

**Seto snorted. "You could never look terrible, Lily. You just look like a very obsessive fan of the Dark Magician Girl."**

"**You shut up! It's not funny!"**

**I ran my hand over the sleeve unhappily and then poked my hat. All that and no magic wand… how rude. **

"**You forgot something," a slightly rough female voice said. Seto stopped smiling and assumed his usual grim appearance. **

"**Oh…"**

**She was holding the staff that would complete my little costume. I smiled innocently, trying not to look alarmed. This was no normal person. She was covered in silver fur, and had cat ears on her head. I gawked for a second, but when those light, nearly white, blue eyes pierced through me I could do little more than take a step closer to Seto. **

"**Well?" she prompted, brandishing my fancy stick. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"**

**I opened my mouth and then shut it again. I felt Seto's hand grab onto mine firmly and felt reassured. He would know what to do. **

"**We are not here to cause trouble. My name is Seto Kaiba and-"**

"**KAIBA? You're Gozaboro's son? I thought they said… Never mind." She snapped her fingers and several warriors sprang into action, tying him up. "And you, little magician girl? Who are you?"**

**I swallowed. "My name is Lily and I guess that Seto and I owe you an explanation." I took a deep breath and launched into the telling of our story, taking out our romance, which was our business, and hoped that she would believe me. **

"**Your story is… strange. I can't release anyone with the name Kaiba upon our town. Gozaboro is a terrible man and any who are related to him can't-""**

"**Seto was adopted. He had no choice in the matter!" Okay, it was a minor white lie, but he was adopted, after all. **

"**Hmm… I'm sorry, but I just can't accept that without proof. You, on the other hand, must be a magician. That is the one force we can't beat, and Gozaboro has two of them. If you help us, we could win. But can we trust you?"**

**Having never negotiated much of anything, other than the price of my car, I was having difficulty setting my terms, but I knew that Seto's very life might hang in the balance, and so I had to be strong. **

"**I won't help anyone who holds Seto captive." Not only that, but I highly doubted that I could help at all. I stared at the staff hopefully. "However… if you let him go… you have my word, and his, I'm sure, that we are not on Gozaboro's side. He's the whole reason that we're stuck here, after all."**

**She narrowed her eyes at me and then tossed me the staff, which I caught expertly and then twirled it as if I had been doing so my entire life. I stared in amazement at my hands. **

"**Okay, for now, I'll trust you. But betray that trust… and you are dead."**

**I nodded and rushed over to Seto as the women untied him. Smiling, I realized that every single warrior was a woman. **

"**My name is Kiyoko. I am the leader of the only group that resists the dictatorship of Gozaboro… the only successful group, that is." She smirked and pointed to a slow moving, panting guy running up the hill. **

"**Nobody move! No… no…" He collapsed and looked defeated. "So, Kiyoko, you beat me to it again… how does that make you feel?"**

"**Not now, Blane. Right now… I think I've found our team a magician. What have the boys got on their side, hmm?"**

"**A magician? This girl? Can't you tell she's just a silly weirdo playing dress up?"**

**I narrowed my eyes and felt the familiar anger rush over me. It had been a while since I'd been around people long enough to get mad, but I remembered my temper well enough.**

"**Scuze me, hun, but I think you're forgetting a minor detail. I can hear you. You wanna take that back now?"**

**He looked at me and laughed. "What're you going to do if I don't? Hit me with your stick?"**

**I took his advice and treated his head like a softball. Too bad it didn't critically injure any pitchers, totally ruining my tradition. "I may be a lot of things, but a silly girl is not one of them."**

**Seto clasped my shoulder. "There's that temper again. I was starting to worry that you'd changed a little too much."**

"**You like my temper, Seto?" I asked sweetly, glaring at Blane. No one called me silly and got away with it. Not even if I did look pretty silly.**

"**Ow… my head… That still wasn't magic, though." He stumbled and fell over. **

"**Like anyone needs it to beat you," I retorted, smiling evilly. I had missed making the comebacks that I was famous for. **

"**Grrr…"**

"**Come of it, Blane. Well, Lily, I think that we should go to a more private area before continuing this conversation. It isn't fit for the ears of children."**

**Blane scowled and Kiyoko smirked. Sensing that I had little choice in the matter, I followed her with Seto right behind me, still holding my shoulder. I blushed but sent him a radiant smile. No reason to let him know that I was scared senseless. No reason to admit that I feared we would never get out. **

End note: Kinda short chapter, I guess. Hope u liked it, and there's still room for new characters, as we'll be meeting many more in the next few chapters! Just tell me the appearance, name, and some other important info about them and I can put em in for ya! Review!


	7. Magic Faceoff

**Bridging the Void**

Note: Alright, time for the wonderful adventures in chapter 7. At last I reveal where Steph and Marik are and what they're doing! MWAHAHAHAH- (starts coughing) Aargh, stupid cold, interrupting my evil laugh…. Oh well! Enjoy and review! Oh yeah, thanks so much to all of you reviewers!

Chapter Seven: Magic Face-off

**I blinked and looked around me in amazement. Inside the headquarters there were all kinds of awesome looking fighters. When Kiyoko had said that they had everything except a magician, she hadn't been exaggerating. **

**There were your typical fiends, a few strange, shadowy looking things and your other average duel monsters, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. I got introduced to loads of magical creatures and people.**

**The first person I met was some type of elf, and he slightly resembled the Celtic Guardian. His name was Drake, isn't that ironic? He was pretty cute, but not nearly as much as my Seto. **

"**Wow, Kiyoko, you managed to find someone useful for once," he said, earning himself a punch to the shoulder.**

"**You should talk. I still haven't seen _your_ little 'warriors' do anything but flirt with all the guys! Egh, here they come now."**

**Several different, snooty looking woman started firing questions at Seto, who blushed slightly and got himself a mark to match Drake's, courtesy of yours truly. **

"**Sorry, Lily… I am somewhat human, you know."**

**I smiled and turned around to find myself facing a very beautiful fairy with six wings drawn in close to her so as to not hit anyone with them. Her black hair was shimmering even in the dim light and I felt very, very plain. **

"**So… you're the magician," she said in a musical voice. "Now I know Gozaboro doesn't stand a chance, not with all of us against him."**

**I nodded and looked nervously at my staff. I was so doomed that it wasn't even slightly amusing anymore that I was in a dress.**

"**I'm Andrea, and if you haven't already guessed it, I'm a fairy."**

"**Nice to meet you. I'm Lily and this is Seto."**

"**It's a pleas-"**

**Suddenly, a loud wail pierced the silence, sending everyone scrambling for their weapons. **

"**Everyone to the battlefield, Gozaboro's army is here!" Kiyoko shouted, picking up a very heaving looking sword. "Not you, Lily. Not dressed like that. Head down that hallway until you reach the armory. Grab a weapon of your choice and some armor. We don't want them seeing our secret weapon just yet!"**

**She rushed down the hallway and I took off in the opposite direction, led by Seto, who appeared just as eager as the others to fight. **

"**You know, everyone here seems to be… magical. I wonder why nothing weird happened to you when we came here. I mean… I'm like… the Dark Magician Girl, or something like that."**

**He shrugged and pulled me into the armory, throwing a longbow and a full quiver at me. As he looked over the other weapons I found some cool armor, like the leather kind you get in those RPG games, and found a closet to change in. **

"**Are you coming, Lily?"**

"**Coming!" I said, stuffing the old clothes into a corner, pushing my staff into a scabbard and rushing after Seto onto a virtual battlefield that was all too real. **

**Already, many fighters were at work, and I saw that several had fallen. Most of them were wearing a weird uniform that I took to be a symbol of Gozaboro. **

**Andrea and Kiyoko were fighting back to back against two very large zombies. They were winning with ease and I had to grin a little. This world wasn't really all that bad. **

"**Lily, watch out!" Seto called as a sword-wielding dark knight charged me.**

**I shook my head for a second at the silliness of having only a bow and then stole one of Seto's two swords.**

"**Allow me to borrow this," I said politely, swinging full force at the knight.**

**He smiled and met the blow easily with his sword. "Cute, woman, but not useful in the least!" I wasn't even a little bit of a challenge to him. **

**I grimaced and kicked at his leg desperately. He fell and was soon taken care of by an angry Seto. I returned his sword with an impish grin and watching anxiously as he charged the battlefield. **

**In the next few minutes, I stood discreetly behind a rock and shot a good number of enemy fighters before they all suddenly began a retreat. A sense of foreboding rose in my heart as I headed swiftly towards Kiyoko and Andrea, who looked none the worse for all the fighting. **

"**This is when they bring out the magician. This is when we lose many. Until now, that is. They aren't expecting you."**

**I swallowed and looked pleadingly at Seto, who just raised a sword as if to say that he would protect me. Yippee. I placed a hand on the staff but left it in the scabbard. The element of surprise was pretty much all that I had.**

**I had been expecting something like the Dark Magician, but that was not what I saw marching out to meet us. He was tall, decently built, and just plain attractive. But even as a pretty normal girl, I could feel evil pulsing from him; evil and power. I doubted that I stood a chance against him.**

"**Do you fools never learn when to give up? I can destroy all of you with a single word, yet you persist with this nonsense."**

**I took a mostly involuntary step forward and then tried to look brave. "I don't take kindly to being called a fool!"**

"**Brave words from such a small girl."**

**The word small set off a fuse. I was a lot of things, but small was never one of them. I drew my staff from its place, while Seto and Kiyoko raised their swords. Andrea spread her arms and I sensed power building in her palms. It came down to this, clearly. The four of us against one nasty magician. **

"**How cute… the little girl has a fancy stick."**

**I growled low in my throat and pointed it at him, amazed to see a beam of icy blue light strike him in the chest. His smile vanished. **

"**A magician. How wonderful… I've waited long for a real challenge."**

**Seto pointed a sword at him. "Too bad you won't live long enough to enjoy it!"**

**In an instant, he was on his knees and groaning in pain. A cage of dark, purple, light encased him and the two girls, who looked extremely mad. Kiyoko threw her sword through one of the bars only to see it disintegrate right in front of the magician. Andrea shot two energy beams at him, which made a slight dent in his armor but did nothing more. "You're going to be sorry for messing with me when this is over, magician," she spat, resting both palms on the cage and closing her eyes in concentration. **

"**Take him down, Lily! We'll be out in no time."**

**For Seto, no time didn't look to be soon enough. He stood, grunting in pain, and pulled something out of his pocket. It looked like a duel monsters card. He, too, closed his eyes and then Kiyoko shrugged, sat down and starting digging. **

"**I'd hate to kill you without a fight, so you'd best pay attention. First, there should be a proper introduction, so that I know who I'm killing."**

**I turned to face him, rage burning deep inside my heart. "My name is Lily, you fowl creature. We shall see who wins this battle, though I don't think you stand much of a chance."**

**He smirked and stuck out his hand. "Chris," he said, kissing the hand I had grudgingly put there. **

"**Impossible," I snarled. "I don't play mind games. I play to win!"**

"**You didn't honestly think I was just another human, did you? No… I have the ability to transfer to any dimension I want to, and I chose this one. Nice, isn't it?"**

**I shook my head and glanced at Seto, who seemed to be glowing. The bars of the cage looked faint and Andrea looked tired. "I'm trying," she mouthed desperately before placing her hands back on the bars and shutting her eyes again. **

**Chris grinned and turned his palm towards the cage. It rose from the ground; halting Kiyoko's digging and solidified again. "This time," he said. "You will have no help."**

**I kicked him in the shin and knocked him on the head with my staff, hoping for a good effect, but instead, he just laughed at me. "You're even more pathetic with powers, Lily."**

**Suddenly afraid, I felt a strange presence beside me. **

_**Just trust in your own magic, Lily. Trust in me.**_

**I saw the Dark Magician Girl out of the corner of my eyes and smiled. "Hold this for me, would ya, Chris," I said, shooting a powerful blast of magic at him, enough to make him fall. **

"**A good try, but not good enou-"**

**He was interrupted by the roar of a dragon and I smiled even more. So that was why Seto didn't look any different; he was a dragon rider. **

End note: Well, what do you think? Is it getting good? Review please!


	8. Dragons and Magicians

**Bridging the Void**

Note: A million apologies for the long wait! This time I promise I'll reveal a little about Steph! I hope this chapter is worth it to you… It does get good! Review, and yell at me for the wait if you must!

Chapter Eight: Dragons and Magicians

"**What on earth is going on?" Chris asked, eyes wide at the sight of a life size blue eyes white dragon. **

"**Good question," Seto said shortly, staring up at his monster. **

"**It's you, Seto," I said knowingly. "You have powers in this world too. You summoned that dragon."**

**He looked at me like I was insane, something I was plenty used to. **

"**Don't believe me? How do you explain _that_?" I declared, pointing to the armor that had appeared on his body at the same time as the dragon. "Well… don't just stand there… Do something useful!"**

"**Enough of your chatter!" Chris shouted.**

"**Are you really that eager to lose?" I smirked as a loud explosion erupted behind me, and I knew that it was Seto's doing. "Unlike you, Chris, my friends and I stick together!"**

"**Friends?" Seto mocked with a smile from high above, riding the Blue Eyes with a look of joy deep inside his eyes. **

"**Oh shut up, Seto."**

**Just then a terrible and excruciating pain raked down my entire body, and I saw that I was engulfed in magical, dark flames. I fought down the urge to scream as they slowly crept up my legs. **

"**I… have… enough… scars on my legs, thank you very…much…Chris," I said haltingly, feeling faint from the fumes. "What… is… this?"**

"**No man can rule without a queen!" he said smirking.**

"**Actually," Seto interjected. "Never mind. You just leave her alone, you freak!" **

**As my head swam, I saw a shining blue blast heading towards Chris, and somehow I knew that it would not be enough. **

"**Team… work," I whispered to no one in particular before fainting into the flames. (A/N Brilliant idea, don't u think?)**

_**Seto's POV:**_

_**She fell into the dark fire and I wanted to scream and kill Chris right there. She was all that I had… the only thing I had that really mattered. He couldn't hurt her as long as I was around. And she was not going to be his queen unless she wanted to… and I prayed that she never would. **_

"_**You're going to pay for what you've done, Chris!"**_

"_**You aren't trying to say that you will make me suffer, are you, dragon boy?"**_

"_**More than you can imagine."**_

_**I tapped the dragon on the head, a signal for attack. "You keep at it," I told it, knowing that it would understand. "I have to help Lily."**_

**_Jumping down right as the first blast erupted, I ran to her as fast as I could. She was just lying there as the flames charred her armor and made its way to her hair, her pride and joy… and slowly started to eat it away as I tried to find a safe way through. Oh, screw safety. I jumped in and grabbed her, only to find myself face to face with Chris._**

"_**What makes you think she wanted to be saved? You don't know her the way I do… you could never know her that well."**_

"_**What do you mean?"**_

"_**When we were younger… I would watch her write… I saw the pain that she tried so hard to hide from us all… And just a few years ago, I read her journal, while she was off in your world frolicking and what not. She did not always want to go on… she was so lonely. I thought she should have been an easy target, and then… you came along. When she got back from your world, she was different… she wasn't so afraid… and she knew what it was like to love. I should have been the one to show her the world… but you took all of it away from me."**_

"_**Save your sob story for someone who cares. Answer this; is this what she wants? Is this how you're going to redeem yourself to her?"**_

"_**No… I'll make her love me… but if you're still here, you'll be in my way. You're always in my way!"**_

**_He punched me but I didn't let myself flinch from the pain. Instead, I took advantage of the lull to see where Kiyoko and Andrea were. They were in the middle of a battle with some soldiers I had never seen before, but they were winning, so I doubted they needed my interference. Too bad that I needed theirs. I wouldn't have admitted it… but how could I take the chance that something bad would happen to Lily? I didn't know what to do._**

"_**Lily, please wake up. I don't know what I'd do without you…"**_

**Lily's POV:**

**I was choking… suffocating, in the darkness. Drifting in my own mind, where I did not like to be. **

**Inside of there I saw my pain… I saw my fears, even the ones I tried to hide from myself. I was still afraid to die. I was still afraid of what a relationship might ask of me, and if I could live up to that expectation. **

**And I saw my love for Seto, and my memories of him. How I'd sit in front of the TV, wanting to kiss it… wanting to somehow cross through the screen to him. My joy when I first realized that I was in love… the sorrow of thinking that my love was hopeless. I'd waited so long to have it ripped from me so soon. And now he was back. **

"_**Lily, please wake up. I don't know what I'd do without you… I can't survive without you… please wake up."**_

**Was that Seto? Of course not… that's silly. He would never say that he couldn't survive without me. I couldn't wake up. I tried, but I couldn't escape the prison, the maze, of my own mind. I knew only one person who even knew the surface of those thoughts… And she wasn't anywhere near me.**

"**Get Steph," I tired to stress to whoever was near. "She's helped me beat it before. GET STEPH!"**

End note: Let me think this over for a little while before going on. Please review!


	9. Best Friends Till the End

**Bridging the Void**

Note: I hope things start to make a little more sense in this chapter. Thank you for the reviews, and please continue to write them. It's only a clickie away!

Guide to the text:

**Normal**

"_**Someone talking to Lily when she's in her dream state thing"**_

_**POV some character besides Lily.**_

'_**Memory/worry passage'**_

"**Dialogue"**

Chapter Nine: Best Friends Till the End

KAIBA'S POV:

_**Why did she need her friend Steph? Because somehow, I knew that she did. Somehow, she had told me. I didn't know how… but I knew that she'd asked for her. **_

"_**Why?" I asked her still form. Too still. **_

**_What could I do? Chris was not looking very pleased._**

"_**She'll die unless I reverse it, rich boy. Give her to me and I'll save her."**_

"_**What did you do?"**_

"_**A spell. It was supposed… to make her love me… but she is too iron willed. She refuses to leave you. Stupid girl. I don't want her anymore. She isn't beautiful with those burns."**_

"_**Is that all she is to you? A trophy to be won?"**_

"_**I'm the only one who can save her, you fool."**_

"_**She doesn't need you!"**_

"_**Then you try and stop it… stop the onslaught of all her fears and pain and worries. Then we'll see where your love gets you."**_

_**I didn't know what to do, but I had to do something. "Lily," I whispered softly into her ear. I noticed that the edges of her hair were charred and that she was burned pretty badly. I knew better than to ask if the damage would carry over to real life. It was never that simple. "Hold on. Don't you dare die on me!"**_

"_**It's no use. She can't hear you over the roar of her own thoughts. And no one but her… and that stupid Steph… have any idea what goes on in there. Not even you."**_

"_**Send us back. You've done enough damage!"**_

"_**No… I think she should die here, in my domain. But… I will grant you one thing, any one thing but going home, just to see you struggle to save her with a little more sport. What do you want?"**_

_**I didn't need to think it over. Lily still needed her best friend… just like I needed my little brother. We didn't know each other's pasts. **_

"_**I want… her friend Steph to be here, too."**_

"_**Suit yourself, although I don't know why you'd waste perfectly good magic like that."**_

_**And then the strange Steph herself was standing before me, her lips locked with Marik Ishtar.**_

STEPH'S POV:

_**One minute I was kissing Marik in the comfort of my own home and the next, we were standing before Chris, Kaiba, and some other people I did not know.**_

"_**What the- Lily! What's wrong with her?"**_

"_**Chris… tried some spell… and it didn't go too well. She asked for you."**_

"_**Wha-"**_

_**Marik clapped a hand over my mouth. "Don't ask questions. Your closest friend needs your help, and I think you owe her."**_

_**I bowed my head and glared at Kaiba. "This is your fault, isn't it?"**_

"_**No!" he declared, brushing Lily's burned forehead with his lips. "And you're lucky that I'll tolerate you."**_

"_**No… you're lucky that I care enough about your girlfriend to tolerate you."**_

_**He narrowed his eyes, and reluctantly let me closer to look at my friend. I wasn't sure what she expected of me, but I knew that she had a strange sense for these things. **_

"_**Well, Lil, I'm here. What do you need? And tell your boyfriend to cut it with the glares."**_

**_I was amazed when Kaiba held his tongue. I hadn't thought he had it in him. He really did love Lily. I couldn't wait to see how she reacted to that. _**

LILY'S POV:

"_**Well, Lil, I'm here. What do you need? And please tell your boyfriend to cut it with the glares."**_

**That was my Steph, all right. Somehow, he'd gotten her to come. Now… how to explain?**

_**I am eleven years old… I cry and say goodbye to yet another friend. It doesn't matter… I'm nobody. I only had one friend anyway. And I'd made so many mistakes… so many… **_

_**Someday, I realized, I wouldn't be on this earth anymore. As the rain came down, my first tears over the concept of death poured along with it. The first… but no where near the last.**_

**I had to stop it. The leash I used on my mind, that figurative image, was shattered. How could I stop the onslaught by myself.**

"_**Lil, girl, we're waiting. Kaiba's starting to tick me off."**_

"_**Lily… can you hear us? Over the rush of your thoughts? We're here."**_

"**_We? There is no we. I'm here for ya, Lil. And I guess the boyfriend is here, in his own way._**

**I have to say something. "I'm not okay, but don't worry. I just need… talk me through this, Steph. Like the nights on the phone. Make me not afraid again."**

' "**_The fear again? Oh, Lil… why are you always so scared? Just relax. Don't think about it… Think about Joey…no, I guess, Kaiba now, isn't it? Yes, think about your boyfriend… picture him in your mind. Focus on him and him alone. Picture his deep blue eyes… his perfect brown hair… every part of him you know and love. Don't let your mind wander… hold it close on the task at hand… let no detail escape you. Do you have it now?"_**

**I can see him, in my minds eye. Steph ought to be a therapist. Therapy…?**

"_**I think she needs help, professional help."**_

"_**Don't say that, she's your daughter."**_

"_**But she isn't eating. She isn't sleeping. She just cries and writes, and stares at that TV. I'm worried."**_

**_Why did I have to make them worry? What was my problem?'_**

"**You're losing me… Steph. I can't… focus…"**

"**_I think you've said that your mind is wandering. Somehow… you've told me… But no, don't think about me. Think about Kaiba… would it help to call him Seto? Yes… picture Seto. Don't lose that image. Do you have it? Yes… you can see him now, holding your body… making sure that you're alright. His eyes are the deepest, coldest blue. Now focus on the eyes. The eyes… just the eyes."_**

**I focus on the image of Seto's deep eyes. Eyes full of pain, and life, and love… full of so many things. You could lose yourself in the sea of his eyes. You could drown in them… Drowning…**

'_**What if I died in my sleep? What if there was no more tomorrow? What if I never got the chance to fall in love… to get married. Any of the things that mattered. What if I never saw them again? What if… what if… oh, what if they died instead? Was I going to drown… drown in the sea of my tears?'**_

**Focus… I can't dwell on the past. Seto… I must see only Seto.**

"**_You're twitching, Lil. Is that a good thing? Seto says you're cold. He's holding you closer. Can you feel it, Lil? Try to feel it for me. Don't lose the sound of my voice… just focus on that for now. Do you feel him holding you? Can you feel that he's keeping you warm… holding you still? His hand is on your forehead, Lil. Do you know it? I think he might be something special, after all. Tell me that you can feel it, Lil. Try hard… try hard for me… for him."_**

**I do… I feel it. Just barely there, the warmth of his arms encircling me. The touch of his hand… it feels so gentle, to belong to someone so tough, so cold inside. If only I could help him. Talk to him. Focus, Lily… concentrate on that feeling. His arms around you. Seto's arms around you. He's holding me so tight. **

"_**I think you're waking up. Seto looks ready to kiss you about now. I think you wanna be awake for that. Don't you want to meet my new boyfriend? I've finally followed your advice and followed my heart. Now you follow yours back to us, okay? Follow my voice, follow Seto's arms. Come back to us."**_

**I want to come, but I'm scared. I know that I'm likely burned. That was no play fire. What if…**

"**_And none of your what ifs, Lil. You're gonna be fine. We'll make sure you're fine. Just come back to us. Can you see us now? Your eyes are opening, but they aren't all there. Your eyes are black. You aren't following my voice. What must we do to get you back? Are you fretting? Don't. Just follow my voice. You want to be with him, don't you? You've got the boy worried sick, Lil. Now come on, no more fear. He's holding you close. I've never seen anyone look so afraid… no one except you. Now come on. I'm getting impatient."_**

**She always was. And she always would be. I can see her now… just barely. Mostly I can see Seto. He's so close to me, all I want to do is stay that way forever. And then the pain, oh the terrible pain, kicks in. **

End note: I hope that made sense! Just ask for clarification in the reviews if it didn't and I'll do my best to explain!


	10. Chapter Ten

**Bridging the Void**

Note: I must apologize yet again for the wait. I hope you like this chapter! Please review!

ChapterTen (I have no idea for a title!)

**I held my head and swayed a little from the rush of pain that was hitting me. My vision blurred and I recognized the scent of something burnt. **

"**What's burning?" I asked, slurring the words and breathing heavily.**

"**Well… you, really. Mostly it was just your hair, but-"**

"**MY HAIR?"**

**I was agonized by the realization that my hair was burnt to a much shorter length and was uneven and ruined. My skin, as far as I could tell, was also very damaged, but that wasn't my pride and joy. I'd always been so very proud of my hair. **

"**At least you're alive, Lily," Seto whispered into my ear, gently caressing the side of my face. **

"**It hurts… a lot…" I said faintly, feeling as if I was going to pass out again.**

"**I know… and we're going to get you out of here, I promise."**

**I mumbled something, that even I don't know what it was, and buried my pained face in his chest. He would make everything okay. I trusted him completely.**

"**You actually managed to break free," Chris said, leaning towards me before Seto slapped him away. He didn't even flinch. "You are even more amazing than I first thought."**

"**Shut your trap, you over-cocky fool. She's in love with Seto and nothing's gonna change that. Nothing."**

**I wanted to tell her that she was only daring him to try, but I couldn't speak. **

"**Oh no? You have no idea of the things my magic can do. You think a strong spirit like yours just broke on its own?"**

**Steph's fist tightened into a ball and she pounced on him. "All this time, I though I was weak… but it was a spell. I'm gonna kill you, Chris!"**

**Marik pulled her off him before he could do anything to her. **

"**I don't think you realize just what you're dealing with," he said, his voice layered with menace.**

"**I don't think you do, either," I said at the same time as Seto. He smiled at me before gently letting me slide to the ground as he stood up. I followed, though shakily, and there the four of us stood, all glaring at Chris.**

"**You're all fools, and I tire of your insolence!"**

"**I… I tire… of your cocky attitude. You think you can just crush us beneath your foot like bugs, but I've got some news for you. It doesn't work that way."**

**I slapped him with a magically powered hand and watched with satisfaction as he hit the dirt. But the instant he fell, I felt my own legs give way and hit the ground beside him.**

"**You really think you can win?"**

**A pain more terrible than anything I had ever felt ripped through my body and I let out a cry. I tasted my own blood in my mouth. I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. And the only thing I could see was Chris.**

**POV Kaiba:**

_**She fell to the ground alongside that slime and she didn't even try to get back up. I called out her name, but she didn't respond. When I tried to go to her, Steph held me back.**_

"_**This is Lily's battle. Let her fight it"**_

"_**But-"**_

"_**But nothing, Kaiba. If you love her, you'll let her do this. If you save her, she'll never get over it. Just trust me."**_

**_How could I just stand by while she was lying there like that and he was saying something to her? I just knew it was something terrible… something that would haunt her dreams forever. And I knew that Steph was right. I had to let her handle this alone. But it wasn't going to be easy. I loved her too much. And it had been so long since I'd really let her know it._**

"**_Lily," I whispered, hoping beyond reason that she could hear me. "I love you more than anything in the world_ (A/N: Not meaning to say that he doesn't love Mokuba. He just means this in a different way. He loves Mokie as a brother, but he loves Lily… well, like a guy loves a girl, you know.) _and I know you can do this. I just have to let you know… that I'm always here for you. Always."_**

End note: I know it's short, but I have writer's block, and this makes a really good cliffie!


	11. Fighting the Pain with Love

**Bridging the Void **

Note: I really need to thank those of you who are sticking with me through this… I'm having a bit of trouble with getting it written. I hope you like it, anyway. Please review!

Chapter 11: Fighting the Pain with Love

**I took a deep breath, but my vision didn't clear. Still the only thing I saw, the only thing I knew, was Chris. I opened my mouth to speak and was certain that only he heard me. **

"**What have you done to me?"**

"**This is your last chance, Lily. Your last chance to live. Tell me… that you'll be mine forever."**

**I tried to shake my head, but it wouldn't move. I opened my mouth to say no, but it wouldn't come out. Two words repeated over and over in her mind, a relentless order, a chant; say yes. **

"**Y-y-y-n-n-no. Y-you c-can't m-m-make m-m-m-me s-s-s-s-say it." My voice was shaking, not wanting to obey my orders. But I had to hold on, had to see this through. I'd spent too long waiting for the life I'd found to let Chris take it away. **

"**You are so strong, but you are too stubborn for your own good. I will, someday, look back on this with a smile. It's been fun."**

**It hurt… oh, yes, it hurt… It was like, a million daggers slamming into my chest, and like I was on fire. But I wouldn't give up… no matter what. I knew that there was something worth coming back to. **

"**I h-h-have t-t-o… much… to… lose… you aren't-" The words fell short as I screamed. There was so much pain… and I was all alone… was there really a point to all of this… was Chris in my head? I just didn't know… **

**Seto's POV:**

**_She was still lying motionless. Steph was looking sternly at me, clearly trying to make sure I didn't interfere. I was worried for her. The emptiness in her eyes was like death… and only the gentle rise and fall of her chest had kept me sane. Only now, it was ragged and pained, and growing ever less frequent. _**

"_**Lily," I whispered again, hoping she could feel that I was with her, and silently cursing myself for believing something so ridiculous. "Please… I know you won't give up, but… just in case you needed to know, I'm here for you… I'm always here for you."**_

**End Seto's POV.**

"_**Lily... Please… I know you won't give up, but… just in case you needed to know, I'm here for you… I'm always here for you."**_

**That was… Seto's voice. His image had been growing weaker in my mind, but now it returned to me, so cold and yet so perfect. And he was mine. I was his. Why on earth would I give that up?**

**I bit my lip and halted my scream at long last. I focused on breathing. In, out, in out. Don't stop now… don't stop breathing… don't stop living. Just survive… that's all you need for now. **

**I felt the breath go in, and I felt it leave. That was the hardest part; feeling my breath leave me. I was always afraid it wouldn't be coming back. And it always did. Focus on the breath… just concentrate on the breathing… don't think, just breathe. **

**I breathed and breathed, ignoring the droning of Chris's voice. **

"**_Lil, he's running out of power… it's draining him to keep you under the spell. Just hold on."_**

**I just kept on breathing, ignoring everything until, suddenly, I could see again. Seto was kneeling beside me, holding me up, and I was in sorry condition.**

"**Seto… everything… hurts," I rasped. **

"**I know, Lily, I know. But you won. And we're home, see?"**

**But we weren't home. We were in Seto's mansion, and his private doctors were making sure I was going to survive. There were all sorts of wires and other things that didn't belong in a place I could call home. **

"**Oh, Seto… I love you, but… I want to see my house, my family, again."**

"**I understand. I have… a suggestion to make."**

**I glanced at Steph, who was sitting, dare I say it, in Marik's lap, but she just smiled at me and shrugged. She had changed nearly as much as I had. **

"**Shoot."**

"**I think… that, for now, I can visit you as often as you like through the portal, which we figured out how to work while you were out-"**

"**How long was I asleep?"**

"**A week. And you scared me to death, too."**

"**Wow… it only felt like… a few minutes."**

"**It felt like a lifetime to me."**

**He gently kissed me and I giggled like a little girl before fake swatting him away. "So, continue, won't you?"**

"**And then, once you're old enough, I can give the company to Mokuba, we can get married and-"**

"**Married? Are you proposing to me?"**

**His cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink. "Let me finish."**

"**Okay, okay."**

"**And then I'll come to your world, and we can get a house or something. But I'd have to visit my brother, so you have to keep that little TV of yours."**

"**My TV… is the portal?"**

"**Of course… every time anyone has come or gone, with the exception of the use of Chris's magic, it's been through that TV."**

"**I have a magic TV in my bedroom? That's… interesting."**

"**I know… and before I met you, I never would have believed it."**

"**Not to overthrow this, but I wouldn't have believed it before I met you, either."**

**He shook his head and fake punched me, but it really hurt with all my burns. I bit my lip and winced. **

"**Oh, I'm sorry Lily. I forgot."**

**I smiled. "I think it was more like denial, but that'll do." I kissed him on the cheek before laying back down to rest. **

End note: Have no fears, there will be at least one more chapter, maybe two. Review this, please!


	12. Time to Heal

**Bridging the Void**

Note: It LIVES! That's right folks, I'm finally back with the concluding chapters to Bridging the Void, if anyone is still out there reading it. After this, I plan to introduce an interesting new take on my first fic, which I'm hoping everyone likes. Okay, so onward to chapter twelve at long last!

Chapter Twelve: Time to Heal (hee hee… a little inside joke with myself… for any of you who've seen the Digimon movie as well, I guess.)

**I yawned and woke early the next morning, feeling well rested but still hurting everywhere on my body. The wires and machines were still attached to me, which I didn't find very conforting. Plus, I was alone in the sterile environment with no one but white coated doctors to keep me company. **

"**Where is Seto?" I asked the nearest one. **

"**He's busy setting some things in order. He said for me to tell you not to wait up."**

**I grumbled. "That's just like him… as if I've got anything better to do. Hey… where's Steph?"**

**He shrugged. "I'm not her babysitter, how should I know?"**

**Gosh, doctors are so testy sometimes… and their liars too, what with their 'this won't hurt a bit' line… it's never true. I've just realized I really don't like these dudes. **

**But, fortunately, I wasn't stuck alone with them for very long. As I was just about to start a fight with the not babysitter about getting me a book to read, Steph entered the room, bringing with her the self-confident air that I had always associated with her, before Chris came along. **

"**Feeling better, are we?" she said, smiling.**

"**I could say the same to you, Steph."**

**She sighed and sat down in the chair next to the bed. "I guess we need to talk, don't we?"**

**I nodded and then glared at the doctors. "Can ya give us some privacy, here?"  
**

**They shrugged, all as one, and left. I shuddered. "Those guys are so creepy, ya know?" **

**She nodded. "Well… You know it takes a lot for me to admit this, but I've been a total fool… a complete and total fool. I shouldn't have let Chris do that stuff to me… especially not when I knew it was really you he was after. It was always you, from the start, I think. Not that I'm sad about it… he was a real jerk, after all."**

"**Don't be so hard on yourself. There was a time when I would have been all too ready to be his little toy, too. In fact, I'd probably still be that way, if it weren't for Seto. He changed me a lot, Steph… and I guess, in a way, he changed you too." **

**She nodded. "I'm not the sentimental type, you know, but I guess I should apologize for freaking out on you about Seto. He really isn't my kind of guy… we're just too alike, you know?"  
**

"**I'll say, although you're probably a bit more bossy and self center- Ouch!"**

"**Oh, right, the burns… no punching until after they heal. Well, I'm gonna get you for that when they do."**

"**I wouldn't expect any less. So… you're with Marik now?"  
**

"**Well, yeah… he's… different than I would have thought. And we've always agreed-"**

"**He's totally hot, I know. I haven't forgotten all of our little Yu-gi-oh things… I guess I really missed it, back in the dark days and all…"**

"**You named our fight?"**

"**I name everything, Steph, you know that."**

"**I'd forgotten how crazy you are."  
**

"**I'm glad you're ready to remember. I missed you."  
**

"**Well, best friends forever, right?"**

"**And friends before guys."**

**She nodded. "And you owe my five bucks for each baby."**

"**I've told you a million times, I don't want kids!"  
**

"**I'm gonna be about ten bucks richer soon!" **

"**Soon? Girl, I'm only sixteen!"**

"**Nearly seventeen, remember."  
**

"**Alright, nearly seventeen."**

**We sat silently for a few minutes, and then I said. "Do you remember… the rapping pixies?" I asked her with a big grin. **

"**On the phone, summer of when we were thirteen, your brother was watching Fairly Odd Parents, which the author does not own."**

"**Righto! That was a good laugh… a really good laugh."**

**And, as I looked into the glass beside us, I no longer saw two broken spirits who'd had their dreams torn away from them. I saw an author in love, who'd fought for that love and would now probably carry the scars for the rest of her life, and the promising business girl and perhaps future president, who was finally over the dangerous love that had torn us apart. Indeed we'd finally managed to bridge the rift, the void that had reduced us to nothing, and were well on our way to becoming something new, something special. **

"**Hey Steph, I think the doc wants in for some tests."  
**

"**Catcha later then."**

End note: One more chapter to go, which will be a little wrap up of what happens to Steph, Lily, Seto and Marik.


	13. Chapter 13 The final chapter

**Bridging the Void**

Note: Hello again everyone! Once again, I bring you a long awaited chapter of Bridging the Void, sequel to my very first fanfiction, When Worlds Collide. I'm sorry it's taken so long, and I hope that some of you are still reading this story, and sticking with me as I try to bring it to a close. This should be our final chapter, so please review and tell me how you liked this story.

**In time, I healed from most of my burns, although I will carry the scars for the rest of my life, or so the doctors tell me. Steph and I picked up the shattered pieces of our friendship and found new ways to spend time together and bond like the sisters we had always thought ourselves to be. We had never really lost our strongest bond; the past we shared, and the events that no one else could ever believe had taken place. It has become my duty to share with you, the public, what occurred at that time and after, as the author of our duo. Or rather, our quartet, because that it what we have become. **

**Seto and I spent the first few years learning more about one another, visiting through my little TV and sharing the past and our hopes for the future. I returned to writing with renewed gusto, the romance even more believeable now that I had experienced it all first hand, and started eating actual food again, and not living on ice cream and diet Sprite. **

**When the time was right, and Seto had passed his company to his little brother, he proposed. It was a bit of a funny time, really, because it wasn't at all like I'd imagined it would be. He took me on a motorcycle ride down to a bowling alley, and proposed there, in front of the old lady at the counter, not to mention Steph and Marik, who had a surprise of his own that night. Like the leading lady she was, it was Steph who asked him to marry her, and not the other way around. She never was very patient, and well, it probably would have been a while if she hadn't took control of things. **

**We had a joint wedding, fabulous and luxurious, with a few mystery guests who my parents and Steph's had never even seen before. Nonetheless, Ishizu, Odion and Mokuba had a great time, as did we all. The two of us were truly stunning in white, and our hubbies looked fabulous, although in my opinion, Seto looks much better in a suit that Marik. **

**With Seto's help, I got the bug all fixed up, and it's a regular dream come true, which does not smell like pizza anymore. Steph finally bought her dream car, and we bought our dream home, a mansion big enough for the both of us, not to mention our husbands. It wasn't the haven for single girls we'd always fantasized about, but much, much better. **

**Steph still has a few inner scars from Chris's long term abuse, but she uses them to her advantage, as a reason to fight all the harder to prosecute against like cases, as a lawyer. She's making quite a difference, just like I always knew she would. **

**Seto, meanwhile, now has his own company right here, in my world, which he manages with the same iron fist as he did the original Kaiba Corp. He can have the pride of saying his is the first business to have offices in two different dimensions. **

**Marik's doing pretty well, I guess, although he doesn't bring in quite as much money as the rest of us. He works in the museum, telling people all about ancient Egypt and what not, giving very realistic descriptions of tombs. **

**I guess the only real downside to falling in love is that I now owe Steph five dollars, as of the day that my daughter is born. It' a bit sad, really, that I couldn't even hold on to that most prominent part of the girl I was before meeting Seto, but then, perhaps it's better to be a mother than a single author who dreams of love. Still, I'm overjoyed at the thought of how wonderful our little girl is sure to be. I just hope that she's fairer tempered than her parents. **

**Steph, meanwhile, won't let the doctors tell her if her child is a boy or a girl. Of course, we're both banking on it being a boy so our children can fall in love, but that's a bit silly of old friends, isn't it? Marik and Seto have slightly different opinions, but we don't listen. **

**And the thing that made all of this possible is long forgotten in all hearts except our own. We have all volumes of Yu-gi-oh on DVD (partly because they're making a movie out of my first novel and partly because of Seto) and we plan on raising our children with the same ridiculous love of the show. Of course, for them, it will be a far different experience, for they learn not about people who they think are fictional, nor about those they would come to love, but their fathers and their lives before meeting the crazy girls from another world. **

**Some day, when they're ready, we'll take both of them to the world of their fathers, and we'll let them understand that nothing is impossible, and that their really is a chance for even the most eccentric or cold-hearted of people to find love. And we will tell them, too, of Chris, and the battle that we fought against him and against our own stubborn hearts. Maybe they'll have great adventures, defeat crazy villains, and find their own love, like their parents. Or maybe they'll live a quiet life, secluded and safe. I doubt it, though. Now if you don't mind, I have to find my wallet, because it's about time that this baby was born. **

End note: I guess that about sums it up, doesn't it? I hope you enjoyed this story, and I hope that you'll review and tell me what you think. It's been fun! Also, if anyone would like to see a story written about their children, just tell me and I'll be happy to do so.


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